Fire Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish the report of his Department's strategic review of the Fire and Rescue Service.

Bob Neill: The Fire Futures strategic review of the Fire and Rescue Service is a sector led project on fire and rescue provision in England.
	The report will be presented to me by the sector in the autumn and a copy blushed on the departmental website shortly after. A copy will also be made available for the Library of the House.

Mobile Homes

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to require owners of park homes to register their properties with the Land Registry.

Grant Shapps: There are no plans to require owners of park homes to register their homes with the land registry. A park home is a moveable chattel, stationed with the permission of the site owner. There is no estate or interest in the pitch. There is therefore nothing to register with the Land Registry.

Climate Change: Forests

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take in response to the recommendations of the Read report on Combating climate change: a role for UK forests.

James Paice: The Woodland Carbon Task Force (lead by the Forestry Commission) is establishing conditions for a step-change in woodland creation and an increase in sustainable forest management, to increase the harvesting and use of wood. The task force is exploring how carbon finance and future wood fuel and timber income make woodland creation and management an economically viable proposition. The task force will also encourage local initiatives for woodland creation and work with a range of interested parties to identify barriers to woodland creation and management.
	The Forestry Commission has initiated a pilot phase for the Woodland Carbon Code that sets out robust requirements for voluntary carbon sequestration projects that incorporate core principles of good carbon management as part of modern sustainable forest management.
	The Read report identified that adaptation is needed now; the Forestry Commission has recently published guidance on adaptation in England. This, and forthcoming climate change guidelines that will underpin the UK Forestry Standard will, for the first time, establish the consideration of climate change adaptation as a requirement of sustainable forest management in the UK.
	The role of trees in helping society to adapt is also important, and we have indicated that we will launch a tree planting campaign later in the year, addressing the report's recommendation that tree planting should be targeted to where people live and congregate.

Forests

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has for the sale of the public forest estate in  (a) the Forest of Dean,  (b) the New Forest and  (c) Sherwood Forest;
	(2)  what plans she has for sales from the public forest estate;
	(3)  how many hectares of the public forest estate the Forestry Commission plans to sell.

James Paice: DEFRA and the Forestry Commission will consult the public on proposals regarding the public forest estate. We will invite views from a wide range of potential private and civil society partners on a number of new ownership options while protecting public benefits. I envisage a managed programme of reform to further develop a competitive, thriving and resilient forestry sector that includes many sustainably managed woods operating as parts of viable land-based businesses. No decisions have been made in relation to any individual sites.

Parliamentary Questions

Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many questions have been  (a) rejected and  (b) carded by the House of Commons Table Office since September 2010, broken down by political party.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many notices of questions for oral answer submitted for inclusion in the shuffle on 25 October 2010 were not included in the shuffle; and how many such questions were submitted by members of the Official Opposition party.

Stuart Bell: During the period between 1 September 2010 and 27 October 2010, 7,428 questions for written answer were tabled and printed; 4,564 questions for oral answer were entered into the shuffle (a process dependent upon automated random number generation to determine which questions appear on the Order Paper and in what order); of these oral questions, 1,534 were topical questions.
	The Table Office can only put onto the Order Paper or into the shuffle questions which comply with the rules of the House. If a question appears to be disorderly the Member is sent a card and asked to discuss how it might be brought within the rules. Questions are not rejected and there is an appeal mechanism for Members dissatisfied with the advice they receive.
	The available data are set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Table 1: Questions for oral answer (other than topical questions),  1 September 2010 to 27 October 2010 
			   Conservative  Labour  Liberal Democrat  Other  Total 
			 Number of questions entered in 'the shuffle' by party 1,729 1,033 204 64 3,030 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions entered in 'the shuffle' (percentage 57 34 7 2 100 
			 Number of questions printed by party (percentage) 313 170 35 7 525 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions printed (percentage) 60 32 7 1 100 
			 Number of questions 'carded' by party 240 171 27 8 446 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions 'carded' (percentage) 54 38 6 2 100 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Questions for written answer, 1 September 2010 to 27 October 2010 
			   Conservative  Labour  Liberal Democrat  Other  Total 
			 Number of questions tabled and printed by party 3,148 3,177 594 509 7,428 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions tabled and printed (percentage) 42 43 8 7 100 
			 Number of questions 'carded' by party 760 920 106 99 1,885 
			 Proportion by party of total number of questions 'carded' (percentage) 40 49 6 5 100 
		
	
	On 25 October 2010 the Table Office performed three shuffles; one for questions to the Secretary of State for Transport, one for questions to the Minister for Women and Equality and a third to determine the hon. Members to be called to put a topical oral question to the Secretary of State for Transport.
	
		
			  Shuffle  No. of questions received before the cut-off  No. of questions carded  No. of carded questions later amended and put into shuffle  No. of questions shuffled  No. of questions received but not in shuffle  No. of questions received from Members of the official Opposition but not in shuffle 
			 Women and Equality 92 33 15 73 18 17 
			 Transport (substantive) 139 15 15 138 0 0 
			 Transport (topical) 119 0 n/a 119 0 0 
			 Totals 350 48 30 330 18 17

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Mastiff,  (b) Ridgeback and  (c) Husky vehicles were in service in Afghanistan (i) in March 2010 and (ii) in October 2010.

Nick Harvey: We do not comment on the number of vehicles deployed in Afghanistan. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the in-service date is for the Future Rapid Effects Systems Utility Vehicle.

Peter Luff: The Future Rapid Effect System has been recast from a single programme into a set of constituent programmes: comprising a specialist vehicle, a utility vehicle and a manoeuvre support vehicle.
	The total estimated costs and the in-service dates for each vehicle cannot be confirmed until their respective main investment decisions are made. The timing of these decisions will now be reviewed following the publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

European Fighter Aircraft: Guided Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many successful tests of the Paveway IV bomb on the Typhoon F2 have been conducted.

Peter Luff: A programme to integrate Paveway IV onto Typhoon will culminate in full tests to deliver the capability in 2012. To date, 14 preliminary compatibility trials have been undertaken.

Institute for Fiscal Studies

Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much the Government Equalities Office has spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office has spent £1,660 on services provided by the Institute of Fiscal Studies over the past 24 months.

Health Portfolio Review

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he plans to publish his Department's 2009 Health Portfolio Review.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development's (DFID's) health portfolio review will be available by the end of November 2010 at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

China: Fuels

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of China on fossil fuel subsidy reform.

Henry Bellingham: The issue of fossil fuel subsidy reform was discussed with the Government of China during the Group of Twenty summit in Toronto in June.

Colombia: Trade Unions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Colombia on its treatment of trade unionists and other members of civil society; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: I represented the UK at the inauguration of President Juan Manuel Santos in August. I took the opportunity of a private meeting with the President and several of his Ministers on 9 August to urge more progress on human rights. I was encouraged by the President's commitment to make human rights a "non-issue" in Colombia. We welcome this renewed commitment and we will work with his administration towards this common end.
	We will continue to raise our concerns regularly with senior Colombian Ministers, and to work with unions and employer organisations to strengthen labour relations in Colombia. We are working with the UN on a research initiative to help improve trade union human rights protection and the development of positive labour relations. With the EU and other partners, we will continue to encourage a stronger relationship between the Colombian Government and civil society.

Russia: Fuels

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of the Russian Federation on fossil fuel subsidy reform.

Henry Bellingham: The issue of fossil fuel subsidy reform was discussed with the government of the Russian Federation during the Group of Twenty Summit in Toronto in June.

Uganda: Politics and Government

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 25-6W, on Uganda: politics and government, how many British nationals and dependents are living in Uganda; what contingency plans are in place to evacuate them in the event of outbreak of violence before or after the election; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: We have 250 British Nationals registered with the British High Commission in Uganda, but estimate that between 3,000 and 4,000 British nationals reside in or are visiting Uganda at any one time. We maintain close contact with the British community through a network of Consular Wardens and via direct messaging with all British nationals registered with the High Commission.
	Our High Commission in Kampala holds a civil contingency plan, which is reviewed and tested at least annually. This plan includes our response to scenarios where there is a serious threat to the safety of British nationals, where in the worst cases we would urge British nationals to leave the country.

Constituencies

Martin Vickers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his latest estimate is of the likely cost of completing the work to be undertaken by the Boundary Commission on constituency boundaries under the provisions of the Parliamentary Voting and Constituencies Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: We estimate that the total cost of the next boundary review in each part of the UK will be £11.2 million. This includes the costs of staffing, accommodation, IT, printing, production of maps, advertising and publishing the final reports. Under the terms of the legislation presently in force, (Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986), and on the basis of the duration of the fifth general review in each part of the UK, we estimate that a general boundary review would commence within the next three years in England and Scotland and the next five in Wales and Northern Ireland. The total cost of the fifth reviews in each part of the UK was £13.6 million.

New Businesses: South East

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he took of the variations in levels of need in the South East when developing his proposals for national insurance exemptions for new businesses.

David Gauke: holding answer 25 October 2010
	The employer National Insurance holiday for new businesses is intended to promote the formation of new businesses employing staff in those countries and regions most reliant on public sector employment.
	Within the regions excluded from the scheme there will be areas with high levels of public sector employment. However, targeting smaller areas such as local authority areas would not reflect that in practice labour markets span larger areas and a more granular scheme would be costly and complex to administer.

Tax Avoidance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he plans to introduce to address tax avoidance.

David Gauke: This Government are committed to tackling avoidance and intends to build in sustainable defences against avoidance opportunities when undertaking policy reform and to review areas of the tax system in which repeated changes have been necessary to close loopholes. We are also considering whether there is a case for developing a General Anti Avoidance Rule (GAAR) for the UK.
	Alongside this we will continue to use intelligence obtained from the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes regime and other sources to detect avoidance schemes early and we will challenge avoidance robustly where we find it.

Tax Avoidance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce the level of tax avoidance in respect of  (a) inheritance tax,  (b) capital gains tax,  (c) income tax,  (d) stamp duty and  (e) value added tax; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: This Government are committed to tackling avoidance and intends to build in sustainable defences against avoidance opportunities when undertaking policy reform and to review areas of the tax system in which repeated changes have been necessary to close loopholes. We are also considering whether there is a case for developing a general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR) for the UK.
	Alongside this we will continue to use intelligence obtained from the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance schemes regime and other sources to detect avoidance schemes early and we will challenge avoidance robustly where we find it.

Taxation

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the law on independent taxation.

David Gauke: The Government keeps all areas of the tax system under review, and will announce any changes to the personal tax system as appropriate.

Renewable Energy: Heating

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures will contribute to the proposed 20% saving on the estimated cost of the previous administration's plans for the Renewable Heat Incentive to 2014-15.

Charles Hendry: As part of the spending review process we have looked again at the renewable heat incentive to target the scheme more effectively and efficiently. We expect to be in a position to announce the details of the scheme, including RHI tariffs, technologies supported, and details of how these 20% savings will be delivered, shortly.

Renewables Obligation: Parliamentary Scrutiny

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to establish a mechanism for parliamentary scrutiny of the administration of the renewables obligation.

Gregory Barker: The Electricity Act 1989 as amended by the Energy Act 2008 places a duty on Ofgem to administer the renewables obligation, requiring it to ensure compliance of, and make payments from the buyout fund to, those licensed suppliers upon whom the obligation falls.
	The accounting officer for Gas and Electricity Markets Authority is accountable to Parliament for the actions of Ofgem. Parliament votes Ofgem's estimate, which includes appropriating in aid the renewables obligation administration costs. Through the estimates process and select committees, Parliament has the opportunity to scrutinise all of Ofgem's running costs, including the administration of the renewables obligation. Ofgem also publishes annual reports setting out details of its administration of the renewables obligation, these are publicly available and made available to Parliament.

West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will require all members of the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership to  (a) submit to a publicly accessible register details of all (i) past and (ii) current interests that they have had with the nuclear industry and  (b) update the registered details on each occasion they change.

Charles Hendry: The Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) White Paper set out that once a community had expressed an interest in the geological disposal facility siting process, local Government should take the lead role in initiating further discussions with local partners and organising community engagement. As such, local authorities that have expressed an interest in west Cumbria have set up the West Cumbria MRWTS Partnership as an advisory body to 'make recommendations to Allerdale borough council, Copeland borough council and Cumbria county council on whether they should participate in the geological disposal facility siting process, without commitment to eventually host a facility'. It will then be for those local authorities to take a decision on whether or not to participate further in the process.
	Government do not require a register of interests from the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership. It is for the local authorities who established this Partnership to satisfy themselves that it is appropriately constituted and that they are satisfied with the advice it ultimately provides them. Detailed information on the way the Partnership works including information on membership is available on their website at:
	http://www.westcumbriamrws.org.uk/
	Government will want in turn to be satisfied that any Decision to Participate is credible and would expect any decision to be accompanied by a report setting out the approach taken to engagement, the outcomes of that engagement and making clear the basis of the decision.

Education and Employers Taskforce

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Education and Employers Taskforce since its inception.

Nick Gibb: The Education and Employers' Taskforce was launched in October 2009. Its funding is granted on the basis of meeting rigorous and annually agreed objectives. No formal evaluation of the taskforce's effectiveness has been carried out. Some of the taskforce's activities include organising 'Visit Our Schools and Colleges' week, 18-22 October 2010, which will see senior figures from industry visiting schools and colleges to talk to head teachers and principals about their priorities; strengthening the evidence base about the impact of employer involvement with education and producing new guidance for teachers and employers. It has received employer contributions which auditors have valued at over £600,000.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 26 July and 26 August 2010 on Building Schools for the Future funding for The Billericay School and Mayflower School.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 11 October 2010
	 My noble Friend, Lord Hill of Oareford, replied on 29 September 2010.

Schools: Advisory Services

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much his Department has paid Ten Lifestyle Management for providing information and support services to school leaders in England in each year since 2005;
	(2)  whether his Department holds information on  (a) the number of (i) schools which subscribed to the key information and support services and (ii) school leaders who used those services in each year since 2005 and  (b) payments by schools for those services in each such year.

Tim Loughton: The Department has not made any direct payment to Ten Lifestyle Management (TLM) for its delivery of The Key. The Key was established as a pilot service to support school leaders in May 2007 with initial set up taking place in late 2005. It was developed and managed by TLM under contract to the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA); a non-departmental public body of the Department.
	In the period September 2005 to April 2009 TDA made payments to TLM totalling £4,867,399.
	From June 2007 to July 2008, the service was available to 1,000 schools, and it was extended to a further 400 schools in its pilot state until March 2009 when the pilot scheme ended.
	Following the end of the pilot and to secure value from the public investment already made, the TDA licensed its then Intellectual Property Right (IPR) for an annual fee for a period of three years (the first year being 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010) and then an annual royalty based on the profits derived from the system by TLM for a further five years. Subject to this licensing arrangement, TLM have continued to provide the service, operating under a subscription fee system.
	During the pilot period, the service was provided free of charge to schools. The Department does not hold detailed information about the number of school leaders who have used the scheme or the amount of payments made for its services. Neither the TDA nor the Department have information on fees charged to date. This information may be available annually in due course in accordance with the terms of the IPR licence.

Courts: Closures

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on the rate of non-appearance by  (a) witnesses and  (b) defendants of the implementation of his Department's proposed programme of court closures in (i) Staffordshire and (ii) England.

Jonathan Djanogly: I am not aware of any evidence to suggest that cost of travel or travel distance to court is a significant cause of defendants or witnesses failing to appear. Defendants and witnesses are expected to attend court when summoned and courts may take into account travel considerations when listing cases. HMCS will make use of flexible listing practices to minimise the potential impact of any court closures on increased travel times to court.
	Ministry of Justice economists are currently working on the provision of area wide impact assessments that will provide a full assessment of the costs and benefits of each closure. These will include an assessment of the travel impact on court users. We intend to publish the impact assessments alongside the consultations responses, by the end of the year.

Courts: Closures

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the savings to HM Courts Service arising from the proposed programme of court closures.

Jonathan Djanogly: As I stated in my reply to this question during my appearance before the Justice Committee on 19 October, estimated savings, assuming closure of all 157 courts included in the proposals, are in the region of £15 million. These savings come from the operating costs associated with each of the courts on which we are consulting, and do not include staffing, judicial and non-cash costs.
	I would also add that this figure takes into account an estimated £4 million increase in variable running costs, such as utilities, at neighbouring courts as workload increases following transfer of work from the closing court.
	Ministry of Justice economists are currently working on the provision of area wide impact assessments that will provide a full assessment of the costs and benefits of each closure. We intend to publish the impact assessments alongside the consultations responses, by the end of the year.

Criminal Proceedings: Females

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to appoint a ministerial champion for women in the criminal justice system.

Kenneth Clarke: We currently have no plans to appoint a ministerial champion for women in the Criminal Justice System within the Ministry of Justice. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mrs May) is the ministerial lead on Women and Equalities for Government. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Blunt) has recently had discussions with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities on the needs of women offenders. The Government are committed to diverting women away from crime and tackling women's offending. We are taking forward an approach to provide effective alternatives to remands for the courts with new women's enhanced bail provision and effective community sentences using the expertise of the voluntary sector through Women's Community Projects. The aim is to meet the distinct and complex needs of women which are linked to their offending.

Offenders

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with  (a) statutory and  (b) non-statutory bodies dealing with offenders on the re-settlement of offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: I have met with a wide range of statutory and non-statutory bodies over recent weeks to develop proposals for the Rehabilitation and Sentencing Green Paper. The re-settlement of offenders, including the impact of successfully finding accommodation and employment upon release from custody and its role in reducing reoffending, has been discussed at many of these meetings. We acknowledge the importance of this matter and will set out our proposals in this area in the forthcoming Green Paper.

Prisons: Food

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to increase the proportion of domestically produced food supplied to prisons under contracts negotiated by the National Offender Management Service.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) do not have targets for domestically produced food at the present time.
	The MoJ is working with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and other Government Departments who form part of the Government's strategy for sustainable farming and food. This is intended to encourage the public sector to procure food in a manner that promotes sustainable development and does not discriminate against local and UK suppliers.
	Where United Kingdom supplies can meet the specifications set by the Prison Service, the Ministry of Justice will avail of these products wherever this can be achieved without increasing overall costs. The Department is working closely with the supply base to further increase the volume of home grown food used within prisons when compliant with specifications and within budget.

Probation Service: Mental Health

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Probation Service is taking to meet the needs of offenders with mental health conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply.
	The probation service is reviewing the content of and training for the Offender Assessment System to improve the identification of offenders with mental health problems. Residents of approved premises access health care in the same way as the rest of the population.

Squatting

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences related to non-payment of council tax in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(2)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of robbery in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(3)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences related to carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(4)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of television licence evasion in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(5)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of criminal damage in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(6)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of arson in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(7)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences of trespass in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(8)  how many people squatting in premises were prosecuted for offences relating to using utilities without contacting the suppliers in respect of those premises in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009;
	(9)  how many people were prosecuted for breaking and entering where their apparent purpose was to squat in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009; and how many of these had previously been subject to an anti-social behaviour order.

Crispin Blunt: Data held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not contain information about the circumstances behind each case, beyond the description provided in the statute under which proceedings are brought. It is therefore not possible to separately identify whether offences were committed by squatters for: non-payment of council tax; robbery; carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building; television licence evasion; criminal damage; arson; trespass; or using utilities without contacting the suppliers. Similarly it is not possible to separately identify those persons prosecuted for burglary whose apparent purpose was to squat.

AgustaWestland: Government Assistance

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the South West of England Regional Development Agency on the financial assistance proposed to be provided to AgustaWestland in the Spending Review;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the financial assistance proposed to be provided to AgustaWestland in the Spending Review.

Mark Prisk: Since 2009, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has had a number of discussions with the South West of England Regional Development Agency and other interested parties about possible support for AgustaWestland. Since the election, the Secretary of State has received representations on the future of the UK's rotorcraft industry from the management of AgustaWestland, and its parent company Finmeccanica. In addition, he has also had representations from David Laws MP in his capacity as the constituency MP for Yeovil.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

Mark Prisk: Population data was used as a factor shaping funding allocations to regional development agencies following spending review 2007 and before. Allocations to RDAs following conclusion of spending review 2010 will be determined shortly but are likely to be based on the levels of legal commitment and anticipated closure costs.

Employment Schemes: Merseyside

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) women and  (b) employers in Merseyside have taken part in the Women and Work Sector Skills Pathway Initiative.

John Hayes: Between April 2009 and March 2010 68 employers and 279 women from the North West of England participated in the Women and Work programme. Data are not available at a sub-regional or constituency level.

Green Investment Bank

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the revenue likely to accrue to the Green Investment Bank from the sale of each additional significant asset referred to in the National Infrastructure Plan.

Mark Prisk: To give information on expected proceeds from individual asset sales would prejudice the Government's commercial position in ongoing and future sale processes. However, at an aggregate level, the Government are confident that the asset sales it is considering will be sufficient to provide significant additional funding above the £1 billion allocated to the Green Investment from departmental budgets. It will make further announcements on this funding stream in due course.

Green Investment Bank

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding from each source he expects to be available for the Green Investment Bank in each of the next five years.

Mark Prisk: As announced in the Spending Review, the Green Investment Bank will be funded by £1 billion from departmental budgets, and additional significant proceeds of asset sales. The former funding source is for spend in 2013-14. The Government are not able to provide details of the latter funding source as to do so would prejudice the commercial position in ongoing and future sale processes. However, it is anticipated that the use of these proceeds should mean funding for the Green Investment Bank will not be limited to 2013-14, and should be available before that time.

Higher Education Funding Council

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding the Higher Education Funding Council plans to allocate from its quality-related grant to the Quality Research Support Fund in 2011-12.

David Willetts: In the recent spending review, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided.
	In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between individual Research Councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programmes. Decisions on detailed allocations and specific projects will be taken by Research Councils, in line with the Haldane Principle, and HEFCE, within its statutory independence.

Higher Education: Durham

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people resident in  (a) North West Durham constituency,  (b) the North East and  (c) England entered (i) higher education and (ii) university in each of the last 13 years.

David Willetts: The latest information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the table. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will be available in January 2011. Comparable figures for entrants to higher education level courses at further education colleges are not available.
	
		
			  Undergraduate entrants from North West Durham parliamentary constituency( 1) , North East Government office region and England UK higher education institutions( 2) , academic years 1996/97 to 2008/09 
			  Number 
			  Academic year  North West Durham  North East  England 
			 1996/97 510 19,575 371,210 
			 1997/98 535 20,790 377,855 
			 1998/99 535 19,485 402,240 
			 1999/2000 590 19,885 401,345 
			 2000/01 570 20,840 398,700 
			 2001/02 655 21,890 423,965 
			 2002/03 655 24,565 440,520 
			 2003/04 680 24,665 446,045 
			 2004/05 700 23,550 446,695 
			 2005/06 760 25,690 462,950 
			 2006/07 765 26,320 442,645 
			 2007/08 695 25,265 460,290 
			 2008/09 790 28,390 481,935 
			 (1) Excludes students whose constituency could not be established due to missing or invalid postcode information. (2) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series.  Note: Figures are based on a 1 December snapshot and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Finance

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial impact assessment his Department undertook on the decision to reduce the funding available for teaching in higher education institutions; and what estimate his Department has made of the number of higher education  (a) institutions,  (b) departments and  (c) courses likely to close as a result of this decision.

David Willetts: We will announce the level of higher education funding for academic year 2011-12, including the teaching grant, to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in its annual grant letter by January 2011. Before bringing forward our proposals for changes to the funding system from academic year 2012-13 to Parliament, we will complete a full assessment of the impact of these changes. We will make this available alongside draft legislation. The Government will undertake a further impact assessment of any wider changes proposed as a result of a Higher Education White Paper reviewing the framework for HE, and this will be published alongside the White Paper in the winter.
	Regarding an estimate of effects on higher education institutions (HEIs), departments and courses, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Tom Blenkinsop) on 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 135W.

Higher Education: Private Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with  (a) US-based and  (b) other private providers of higher education in England; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	I met with US-based provider Laureate on 15 September. Additionally, the Secretary of State, the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning and I met with BPP University College of Professional Studies, as a part of a wider meeting with representatives of the higher education sector, on 12 July.
	The Government want to make it easier for new providers who can offer excellent teaching and a high quality experience for students to enter the higher education sector. However, this is one of a number of institutional issues in the wake of Lord Browne's independent review of higher education and student finance which requires thorough debate and consultation. We intend therefore to publish a Higher Education White Paper with detailed proposals to which experts from the sector can react, leading, subject to parliamentary time, to a Higher Education Bill.

Housing: Construction

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to bring forward proposals to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses in the housebuilding sector.

Andrew Stunell: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to reducing the regulatory burden on businesses in the house building sector.
	We have abolished HIPs and we are working with the industry to develop an approach to zero carbon homes which balances mitigating the carbon burdens from new development with ensuring the viability of development.
	We have adopted a government wide "one in, one out" approach to new regulatory burdens across the economy as a whole, and in the spending review we announced that we will reduce the total regulatory burden on the house building industry in England over the spending review period. We will be seeking to work across Government Departments to put in place the mechanisms to achieve this.
	I have already initiated a review of the building regulations, to consider options for changes to the building regulations and building control system, including the potential to deregulate. Having sought views from a wide range of interested parties, my officials are now analysing the responses and I am aiming to make a statement on this around the end of the year.
	My colleague, the Minister for Housing, has also set out his commitment to simplify the regulations for new build housing in England. My Department will be initiating discussions with interested parties shortly about how to simplify other standards (beyond building regulations).

Leukaemia: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relationship between murine leukaemia virus-related virus and myalgic encephalomyelitis.

David Willetts: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government supports medical and clinical research. In keeping with the Haldane Principle, prioritisation of an individual Research Council's spending within its allocation is not a decision for Ministers. Such decisions are rightly left to those best placed to evaluate the scientific quality, excellence and likely impact of scientific programmes.
	The MRC is committed to supporting scientific research into all aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), including studies into the biological basis of the condition. In 2009/10 the MRC spent £100,000 on research relating directly to CFS/ME. The Government have not commissioned nor evaluated any research on the relationship between murine leukaemia virus-related virus and CFS/ME.

Manufacturing Industries: Location

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial support from his Department is available for manufacturing firms relocating to larger premises  (a) nationally and  (b) in Lancashire.

Mark Prisk: BIS does not currently offer financial support for relocating to larger premises. However, the North West Development Agency has developed a £184 million Venture Capital and Loan Fund comprising European Regional Development Fund grant and European Investment Bank loan. The Fund is due to be launched in November and will provide a range of financial support to SMEs including expanding manufacturing companies.

Post Office

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the Post Office Joint Venture; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: We encourage Post Office Ltd. to explore Joint Venture opportunities with other partners where appropriate.

Post Offices: Financial Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what changes to financial services offered by the Post Office he proposes to make.

Edward Davey: The Post Office already offers a wide range of financial and banking services and we are working closely with Post Office Ltd. as it develops its commercial strategy, including growing revenue from financial services in order to sustain the network.

Post Offices: Financial Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to change the banking model operated by the Post Office.

Edward Davey: As the coalition agreement made clear, we will ensure that post offices are allowed to offer a wide range of services and we are looking at the case for developing new sources of revenue, such as the creation of a Post Office Bank.

Public Expenditure

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he plans to allocate to each research council in each year of the comprehensive spending review period.

David Willetts: In the recent spending review the Chancellor announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided.
	In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between the individual Research Councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programs. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane Principle.

Regional Development Agencies

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to minimise the cost to the public purse of winding up regional development agencies.

Mark Prisk: This Department is working with the regional development agencies to help them develop closure plans. Securing value for the taxpayer and the economy will be key considerations. High level principles governing asset disposal were set out in the Local Growth White Paper published on 28 October.

Research Council: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he plans to allocate to each research council in  (a) 2011-12,  (b) 2012-13 and  (c) 2013-14 in real terms based on 2010-11 prices.

David Willetts: In the recent spending review my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided and are not included within the ringfence.
	In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between Research Councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programmes. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane Principle.

Research Councils: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations his Department has received from private sector companies on funding for the research councils.

David Willetts: A number of senior industrialists have written to me recently. The CBI and the Council for Science and Technology represent the views of the private sector in the BIS consultations on Science and Research funding including the allocations process.

Science: Finance

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the difference in cash terms between maintaining the science budget in real terms and in cash terms in the period of the Spending Review 2010.

David Willetts: Resource funding for science and research has been maintained at £4,576 million for every year of the SR10 period.
	The Government have protected these programmes in cash terms because they understand the vital role that science and research plays in rebalancing the economy and ensuring economic growth.
	The latest Government forecasts for inflation, which were provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility and were published in the June 2010 Budget, are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Inflation rate (percentage) 
			 2011-12 1.95 
			 2012-13 2.27 
			 2013-14 2.62 
			 2014-15 2.65 
		
	
	The Wakeham Review identified a number of proposals for efficiency savings. The Government will be seeking implementation of these across the research base as part of the SR10 settlement.

Science: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects in cash terms of the freezing of the science budget on the number of scientists working in the UK.

David Willetts: No such assessment has been carried out. The Government have protected Science and Research funding. This sends a strong signal on the attractiveness of scientific careers in the UK. Additionally, implementing the efficiency savings identified by Bill Wakeham, should offset some of the effects of inflation. It will be for Research Councils, under the Haldane Principle, and Funding Councils with their statutory independence, to make detailed decisions on funding.

Science: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria his Department plans to use in allocating the science research budget between the research councils in 2011-12.

David Willetts: In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between individual Research Councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the National Academies and other programs. These decisions will be made in line with the Government's strategic priorities of funding excellence and focusing on areas with the critical mass to compete globally. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane Principle.

Students: Fees and Charges

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what analysis his Department has undertaken of the model for funding student fees used by  (a) CareerConcept AG in Germany,  (b) Lumni, Inc. in the USA, Mexico, Chile and Colombia and  (c) Prodigy Finance Ltd in the UK.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The Browne review considered a range of alternative models for enabling students to defer fees, including private financing options.
	Chapter 7 of the Browne review, beginning on page 51 explains the review team's reasons for rejecting alternative options including private financial support. The full report is available at:
	http://hereview.independent.gov.uk/hereview/report/
	The Government will respond to the suggestions in the Browne review shortly.

Technology Strategy Board

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the long term future of the Technology Strategy Board; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: We are making the Technology Strategy Board the Government's prime channel through which we will incentivise business-led technology innovation in those sectors of the UK economy which present the greatest opportunity to boost UK growth. A business led organisation whose staff have a combined experience of over 600 years in the private sector, the Technology Strategy Board will serve as the main delivery body for supporting business innovation.
	Where there is the genuine potential for the UK to gain competitive advantage, we want to support business in translating scientific leads into leading positions in new industries. That is why we announced that over four years we will provide over £200 million of funding to establish an elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres through the Technology Strategy Board. The centres will enable industry to exploit new and emerging technologies, by providing a capability that bridges research and technology commercialisation, de-risking the process for business. This will help make new technologies investment ready and able to attract venture capital or other forms of investment, shortening the time to market. Working with industry and Government, the Technology Strategy Board will develop a strategy and implementation plan for the elite network of centres by April 2011.
	Support for these centres, together with support for R&D, knowledge transfer, and demonstrators will enable the Technology Strategy Board to support and incentivise all stages of technology development.

Technology Strategy Board: Finance

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funds will be allocated to the Technology Strategy Board in each year of the Comprehensive Spending Review period.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	Following the spending review, the allocations process in BIS will determine the Technology Strategy Board budget for the CSR period, including the annual allocation. The allocations process will begin soon.

Technology Strategy Board: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department channelled through regional development agencies for projects which the Technology Strategy Board was also funding in 2007-10.

Mark Prisk: In 2008/09, the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) invested £101 million in innovation and technology projects aligned with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). In 2009/10, the RDAs were projected to also invest a further £160 million in aligned projects.
	This aligned investment was undertaken in response to the publication of Lord Sainsbury's 'The Race to the Top' Report in October 2007, which recommended closer RDA collaboration with the TSB to strengthen the strategic and economic impact of their collective investments.
	The RDA and TSB co-investment covered a wide range of projects and programmes including the development and funding of recognised centres of expertise; provision of demonstrator facilities to accelerate the take-up of new technologies; financial support to expand the number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships; and activity to increase business awareness and participation in Knowledge Transfer Networks.
	A breakdown of aligned investment by each RDA, and a range of co-investment case studies, is provided in the TSB's 'Accelerating Business Innovation Across the UK' Report published in February 2010. The report can be found at:
	http://www.innovateuk.org/content/news/new-innovation-report-shows-benefit-to-business-of.ashx

Technology: Facilities

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) methodology and  (b) criteria he plans to use to determine the locations of technology and innovation centres.

David Willetts: holding answer 1 November 2010
	The overall network of centres will be established and overseen by the Technology Strategy Board and will be based on the model proposed by Hermann Hauser and James Dyson, to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas where there are large global market opportunities and a critical mass of UK capability to take advantage.
	The Technology Strategy Board will work with industry, stakeholders, and wider government to identify the priority areas and governance structure for the elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres by April 2011.

Train to Gain Programme: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses have received assistance from the Train to Gain programme in  (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency,  (b) Tower Hamlets and  (c) London in each year since the inception of that programme.

John Hayes: The Train to Gain Brokerage Service recorded the number of businesses who engaged with the Train to Gain provision through the Brokerage Service between 2006/07 and 2008/09 as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006/07 (1)51,600 
			 2007/08 52,100 
			 2008/09 39,700 
			 (1) This figure includes 4,000 employers engaged through the former Employer Training Pilots between April and July 2006. 
		
	
	In April 2009 the Train to Gain Brokerage Services was integrated into Business Link. Figures recorded by Business Link for Employer Engagement indicate that for April 2009 to July 2009 there were 16,149 employer engagements of which 2,418 were employer engagements in the London region; August 2009 to June 2010 there were 51,329 employer engagements, of which 9,289 were employer engagements in the London region.
	 Note: The number of employer engagements represents the number of employers who have engaged with the Brokerage Service. It does not represent the number of employers with employees learning on the Train to Gain programme.

University: Closures

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of university departments teaching  (a) science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects and  (b) other subjects which are at risk of closure as a result of proposed reductions in funding to university teaching.

David Willetts: We have no reliable evidence on which to make such an estimate. Lord Browne has recommended that funding for higher education should, in future, largely follow student choice. This would be supported by better information about course content and outcomes. This would allow popular and successful courses to prosper.
	Lord Browne also recommends that teaching grant should be concentrated on priority subjects, such as medicine or technology and in the recent Comprehensive Spending Review announcement we were able to protect science and research. We have said that we agree with the broad thrust of Lord Browne's recommendations and will respond shortly.
	However, universities are autonomous institutions and have the freedom to choose the subjects they wish to teach. The Government cannot guarantee the future of any particular subject or institution.

Vocational Training

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that vocational training courses are delivered with the required expertise and experience; and whether he has considered the merits of implementing minimum teaching standards for vocational qualifications to include relevant expertise and experience within the vocational area being taught.

John Hayes: The Government believe that Further Education (FE) providers should forge strong links with employers. Teaching in FE and Skills is, for most teachers and trainers a second or third career. They are highly skilled and have dual profession such as plumbers, electricians and beauty therapists.
	A series of workforce reforms were introduced aimed at increasing the professionalism of the FE teaching workforce. The major levers for reform were embedded in regulations introduced in September 2007. These require teachers to hold appropriate qualifications and work towards achieving Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status and to become members of the Institute for Learning (IFL), the professional body for FE teachers.
	To ensure that both teaching and subject specialist skills are maintained and enhanced all FE teachers are required to demonstrate an annual commitment of at least 30 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The Government are committed to maintaining requirements for a professional qualified FE teaching workforce.
	With regard to schools my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education has asked Professor Alison Wolf to carry out an independent review of vocational education. Professor Wolf will consider the organisation, funding, and target audience for vocational education, and the principles that should underpin the content, structure and teaching methods. She will report in spring 2011, and her findings will inform future developments to improve the standard of vocational education for 14-19 year-olds. As the findings of the review emerge the Department for Education will consider the implications for the teaching of vocational education in schools.

Organ Donation

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals for a soft opt-out system for organ donation.

Anne Milton: The Organ Donation Taskforce looked at the issue of an opt-out system for organ donation in 2008. The Taskforce did not recommend moving to an opt-out system. An increase in donor rates has been achieved by implementing the Taskforce's recommendations. We will seek further opportunities to increase organ donation, with the principles of informed consent.

Health Visitors

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future numbers of health visitors.

Anne Milton: We believe the first steps in a child's development are crucial to the child's life chances. That is why we are committed to growing the health visitor workforce by 4,200 and developing universal health visiting services to drive-up health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.

Advisory Group for National Specialised Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish  (a) future arrangements for national specialist commissioning and  (b) the operations and remit of the new Advisory Group for National Specialised Services.

Simon Burns: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 22 October 2010,  Official Report, column 898W, in response to the operations and remit of the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services.
	The White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" set out our proposals for transforming the quality of commissioning by devolving decision-making to local consortia of general practitioner practices, supported by the creation of an independent NHS Commissioning Board and launched an engagement and consultation process on how best to implement these changes. This period of consultation and engagement closed on 11 October 2010. The Department is now analysing all the contributions received and will respond to the consultation in due course.

Back Pain: Health Services

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of specialist back pain diagnosis and treatment services; and what level of regional variation he has detected in that provision.

Paul Burstow: No assessment has been made. We believe that primary care trusts, and in due course general practitioner commissioning consortia responding to the needs and views of their patients, are in the best position to determine the priorities for improving services and responding to clinical innovation.
	However, a National Audit into pain services is expected to report early next year. It is intended to give a broad overview of the state of provision of chronic pain services across England (including back pain over the duration of a three month period), both from the perspective of patients and in terms of adherence to good clinical practice. We will therefore have better information on the scale of the challenge once the new National Pain Audit reports.

Cancer Drugs Fund

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from what sources his Department is funding the interim Cancer Drugs Fund; and what amount of funding is being drawn from each such source in 2010-11.

Paul Burstow: The £50 million interim cancer drugs funding made available to the national health service in this financial year came from savings in central departmental budgets, which we have redirected to frontline care for cancer patients.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consult the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the scientific basis for his Department's Health Technical Memorandum (01/05) on Decontamination prior to its implementation.

Simon Burns: The document Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 contains departmental guidance on the decontamination of dental instruments. The evidence and measures within the document were scrutinised by a number of means in order to ensure validity and proportionality to the assessment of risks. Advice was taken from an expert working group, including officials from the British Dental Association, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee on Decontamination Science and Technology, which supported the general principle of the need to improve local decontamination within dentistry. In this light, we are not persuaded that there would be added benefit in referral to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementation of his Department's Health Technical Memorandum (01/05) on Decontamination on the risk of infection of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease from dental treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: There is evidence from animal studies that dental tissues (including dental pulp and gingiva) may provide a potential route of person to person Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) infection. The Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee (SEAC) in considering this risk has stated that:
	"improving the effectiveness of procedures used to decontaminate dental instruments would reduce the risk of transmission".
	SEAC's position statement on VCJD and Endodontic dentistry May 2006 can be found at:
	www.seac.gov.uk/statements/statement0506.htm
	The importance of observing the highest standards of decontamination in dental practice was emphasised in the chief dental officer's April 2007 letter to all dentists.
	Evidence supports the use of effective cleaning and sterilisation of used instruments in a validated steam sterilizer to reduce the potential risk of CJD transmission via dental instruments. This along with the recommendation of single patient use for all endodontics files and reamers and that all instruments which cannot be effectively cleaned be treated, where feasible, as single use are included in the essential quality requirements in Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. Implementation of this guidance will reduce the risk of transmission of CJD from dental treatment.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely costs for primary care trusts of compliance by NHS community practices with his Department's Health Technical Memorandum (01/05) on Decontamination; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: There is no direct cost to primary care trusts (PCTs) in compliance with the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. Where the provider arm of the PCT is responsible for salaried dental services, these services will need to comply with the essential quality requirements as described in the HTM 01-05. The costs involved should be minimal as PCT provider services should all have been compliant with the previous guidance in the 'A 12' guide on decontamination in dental practice, issued by the British Dental Association in 2002, with the support of the Department.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely cost to NHS community practices of compliance with his Department's Health Technical Memorandum (01/05) on Decontamination; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Practices are required to meet the essential quality requirements (EQR) within Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. This will ensure that the risk of patient-to-patient pathogen transmission, especially form blood borne viruses is effectively reduced. The costs of implementing the essential quality requirements as described in the guidance should be minimal for practices already complying with previous requirements, set in the 'A 12' guide on decontamination in dental practice, issued by the British Dental Association in 2002, with the support of the Department. Practices that were complying with the earlier guidance should therefore incur few additional costs in complying with the EQR. We have not set a date for compliance with the higher 'best practice' standards set in the HTM.

Dental Services: Equipment

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effects on dental charges to patients of implementation of his Department's Health Technical Memorandum (01/05) on Decontamination.

Simon Burns: Health Technical Memorandum (01-05) on Decontamination will have no effect on national health service dental patient charges.

Departmental Manpower

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely costs to  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities arising from (i) staff redundancies and (ii) staff transfers attributable to (A) his proposed changes to his Department's non-departmental public bodies and (B) the proposed reforms in the NHS White Paper.

Simon Burns: The White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" laid out proposals for fundamental changes to the ways that the national health service is structured and run, including for the structures of primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and the Department. The precise costs of the transition to the new system will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
	Four consultations relating to how the new organisations should be designed-specifically covering "transparency on outcomes, liberating the NHS: local democratic legitimacy in health" and "commissioning for patients and regulating healthcare providers"-have recently closed and once the results of these have been analysed we will publish the costs of the new system in an impact assessment.
	A further two consultations on other aspects of reform set out in the White Paper-specifically "an information revolution" and "greater choice and control" have recently been launched and will close in January.
	In addition the public bodies review has laid out proposals for a number of changes to public bodies, including the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority, and the Human Tissue Authority, which are the responsibility of the Department. The Department is not yet able to produce robust costings of the changes arising from this reorganisation. This is because the precise costs of the transition will not be known until the operational detail of the changes is known.
	The Government will shortly publish an impact assessment assessing the impact of the changes proposed in the Public Bodies (Reform) Bill.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data.

Simon Burns: National health service revenue allocations are currently made to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of a national weighted capitation formula which is used to determine each PCTs target share of available resources, to enable them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of the local populations they serve.
	The formula uses the most up-to-date sub-national population projections (SNPPs) available at the time from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Currently these are 2006-based (published in June 2008), and were used to inform PCT revenue allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11. SNPPs are currently produced every two years by ONS. The latest 2008-based projections were published on 27 May 2010 and included the latest methodology for estimating patterns of migration. These will inform future allocation rounds.
	For 2013-14 onwards, the NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for the fair and efficient use of resources in the NHS. The Board will make allocations to general practitioner (GP) Consortia on the basis of securing equivalent access to NHS services in all areas relative to the prospective burden of disease and disability. The detail of how resources are allocated to GP Consortia will be a matter for the Commissioning Board.

Health Services: Hull

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) cost and  (b) purpose was of the 'We are Listening' NHS posters erected on lamp posts in and around Hull; what guidance his Department issues to NHS trusts on the use of such posters; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for the Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT). The Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that the 'We're all ears' listening exercise was a local initiative, implemented in response to needs that were identified by the PCT in the Hull city area.
	The Department does not issue guidance on how PCTs should be using local communications materials. However, guidance on the design of communications materials is provided through the National Health Service Brand Guidelines. The NHS brand website provides detailed guidance on how to apply the NHS brand to all communications materials. Details can be found at:
	www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk
	The Department would always encourage NHS communications teams to only spend money on materials where there is a proven need to do so, and through channels that are proven to be effective. We expect NHS organisations to seek the best value for money from any communications activities, and to evaluate the effectiveness of their communications.

Maternity Services

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of his Department's review of the Making it Better maternity services programme; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: This Government are committed to devolving power to local communities-to the people, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils who are best placed to determine the nature of their national health service locally. The Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. To this end, we have outlined new, strengthened tests that proposals on NHS service changes must meet.
	They must focus on improving patient outcomes; consider patient choice; have support from GP commissioners; and be based on sound clinical evidence.
	Responsibility for local health services lies with the NHS locally. Therefore, we have asked the local NHS to look at how schemes that are ongoing meet these new tests-including 'Making it Better'. We are clear that services should be driven by the need to improve patient outcomes. NHS North West advises that the assessment for 'Making it Better' is incomplete, pending submission of the National Clinical Assessment Team report. Assessment will be concluded once all evidence has been submitted.

Mental Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to implement the Government's proposal to provide greater access to talking therapies within the NHS.

Paul Burstow: Earlier this year I announced confirmation of the final £70 million instalment of funding for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, which has enabled the broadening of the geographical range of talking therapy services, meaning more people can get help.
	Funding for expanding access to talking therapies to children and young people, older people and those with more serious mental illness was included in the spending review announcement on 20 October 2010. Plans for delivering this and completing the roll out of services for people with depression and anxiety disorders as part of a nationwide training programme for therapists are being developed. The plans will feature in the cross-Government mental health strategy and the public health white paper which are to be announced in due course.

NHS

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the implications for that Department of  (a) the proposals in the Health White Paper on Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS and  (b) the commissioning of NHS dentistry of the Health White Paper on Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.

Simon Burns: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 10 June 2010 to discuss emerging ideas, which contributed to the development of 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the National Health Service', in particular the role of primary care trusts and local authorities. They did not discuss the commissioning of national health service dentistry.

NHS Commissioning Board

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms he plans to establish to assess the NHS Commissioning Board's performance against its objectives in commissioning services.

Simon Burns: As set out in "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS", the NHS Commissioning Board will be given a mandate by the Secretary of State. This will comprise progress against objectives and outcomes specified by the Secretary of State, drawing on the national health service outcomes framework, and will be subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. Once the consultation and scrutiny process is complete and the content of the mandate is finalised, it will be possible to set out the means by which the performance of the NHS Commissioning Board is to be assessed.

Rochdale Hospital

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on numbers of healthcare staff at Rochdale hospital of the proposed transfer of facilities  (a) to and  (b) from the hospital;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on  (a) referral times and  (b) treatment of acute cases of the transfer of hospital facilities (i) from and (ii) to Rochdale hospital; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to consult on the planned Healthy Futures programme at Rochdale hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Responsibility for local health services lies with the national health service locally. Therefore, no assessment is made centrally of the impact of local service changes.
	This Government are committed to devolving power to local communities-to the people, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils who are best placed to determine the nature of their national health services locally. The Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. To this end, we have outlined new, strengthened criteria that decisions on NHS service changes must meet.
	They must focus on improving patient outcomes; consider patient choice; have support from GP commissioners; and be based on sound clinical evidence.
	We have asked the local NHS to look at how schemes that are ongoing meet this new criteria by the end of October 2010-including those that impact on the Rochdale Infirmary, namely "Healthy Futures" and "Making it Better". We are clear that services should be driven by the need to improve patient outcomes. NHS North West advises that this work is now complete and that it is now reviewing the evidence provided. NHS North West will be able to advise on the process of the review.

Surgery: South East

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled in hospitals, in each primary care trust area in the South East in each year since 2005.

Simon Burns: The number of operations cancelled in hospitals in the south-east area, which includes both the South East Coast and South Central Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs), in each year since 2005 is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Cancelled operations for non clinical reasons, NHS organisations in South East Coast 2005 - 10 
			   Number of last minute cancelations for non clinical reasons 
			  Name  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010( 1) 
			 Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust 427 429 491 366 374 114 
			 Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust 492 302 244 291 407 149 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 116 112 90 152 122 68 
			 East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust 244 345 271 312 353 253 
			 East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust 671 197 178 287 398 234 
			 Frimley Park Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 238 174 238 248 257 154 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust 816 1,056 1,080 831 453 134 
			 Medway NHS Foundation Trust 178 75 110 129 175 119 
			 Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 43 31 42 93 103 37 
			 Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust 214 220 185 205 336 220 
			 Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 210 170 116 152 40 - 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 369 229 315 182 236 160 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 262 347 331 308 78 - 
			 Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust - - - - 242 177 
			 (1) Year to date 
		
	
	
		
			  Cancelled operations for non clinical reasons, NHS organisations in South Central 2005 - 10 
			   Number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons 
			  Name  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010( 1) 
			 Basingstoke and North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust 137 78 74 82 113 27 
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 551 322 332 493 348 173 
			 Hampshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) - 2 16 30 41 0 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 511 474 430 507 547 413 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT - 26 138 133 87 59 
			 Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 245 273 221 167 203 100 
			 Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust 144 81 60 56 73 28 
			 Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust 1,202 942 702 495 806 447 
			 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 335 335 335 309 375 191 
			 Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust 95 84 108 50 313 251 
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 857 750 817 706 925 453 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 350 296 365 209 191 28 
			 (1) Year to date  Note: On 1 April 2009, Royal West Sussex NHS Trust merged with Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust to form Western Sussex NHS Trust  Source: Department of Health dataset QMCO

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to implement obligations under Articles 10, 15, 17, 19, 20, 25 and 26 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to his Department's policy responsibilities.

Paul Burstow: Like every other country that has ratified the convention, the United Kingdom is required to report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities about what it has done to implement it. The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is responsible for coordinating the UK Government's work on the convention, including the UK Government report which is due to be submitted to the UN Committee by July 2011.
	The Department is working with the ODI to involve stakeholders in the implementation, monitoring and reporting processes. For example, we have worked with stakeholders to facilitate workshops in the past few months and will feed their input to the ODI reporting process.

Voluntary Organisations

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effects of his Department's spending reductions on the statutory services provided by voluntary organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Voluntary sector organisations play vital roles in health and social care, delivering innovative, high quality, user-focused services, and achieving outcomes that can provide real social value. They have a strong track-record of designing services based on insight into clients' needs, to which they are often well placed to respond flexibly to those needs.
	It is not possible to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impact that spending reductions will have on statutory services provided by voluntary and community organisations because of the multitude of different contractual relationships this sector has with public bodies at different levels.
	However, the recent spending review makes no cuts to the health budget. As set out in the "Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2010-11", the Department plans to make a phased move towards an 'Any Willing Provider' model for community services, which will address barriers and open up opportunities for future statutory provision by independent and voluntary sector providers.
	The spending review also recognises the importance of social care in protecting the most vulnerable in society. In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. This means, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
	As transition to these new arrangements takes place, we are promoting restraint in budget cuts to this sector and good practice in the commissioning and decommissioning of services, with due regard for the principles of the Compact.

Broadband: Pilot Schemes

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what meetings  (a) he and  (b) his officials had with representatives of the devolved Administration on superfast broadband pilot areas prior to the announcement of pilot areas made on pages 65-6 of the spending review, Cm 7942.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	in my capacity as a Minister in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills did not have any meetings with representatives of the Welsh Assembly Government about the superfast broadband pilots prior to their selection, but his officials had regular dialogue with all the devolved Administrations and regional development agencies prior to the selection of the superfast broadband pilots.

ATOS Healthcare

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure the quality of medical reports produced on its behalf by ATOS Healthcare.

Chris Grayling: The contract between the Department for Work and Pensions and Atos Healthcare contains a number of quality indicators to measure the performance of health care professionals which are monitored on a monthly basis. Quality and accuracy is regularly monitored through a variety of methods including monthly management information, customer satisfaction surveys and feedback from complaints. The work of all health care professionals is subjected to quality audit which is conducted by experienced medical auditors within Atos Healthcare. The quality of Atos Healthcare's audit is validated by senior medical auditors from Atos Healthcare and doctors working for the chief medical adviser to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Carers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with national carers' organisations on the continued implementation of the National Carers' Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: Meetings with representative organisations have been held at ministerial and official level to discuss carers' issues in the context of the Carers Strategy.
	In addition, a 'call for evidence' exercise has been undertaken by the Department of Health, with national and local organisations as well as with carers themselves. This consultation sought their views on the key priorities for carers and concluded on 20 September 2010.
	The responses from the consultation are currently being considered by the Department of Health and will help establish the key priorities that will be the focus of an updated Carers Strategy to be published later this year.

Carer's Allowance

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether partners of higher rate tax payers will receive carer's credit once they are no longer eligible to receive child benefit.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Erith and Thamesmead (Teresa Pearce) on 19 October 2010,  Official Report, column 643W.

Depression: Access to Work

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that people with depression are able to participate in the  (a) Access to Work and  (b) Pathways to Work programme.

Chris Grayling: Disability employment programmes, including Access to Work and Pathways, are designed to support disabled people regardless of their disability. As such, people with depression are able to participate in both programmes.
	The Government will be phasing out many existing programmes, including Pathways to Work, as it introduces the Work Programme. The Government aim to have the Work Programme in place nationally by the summer of 2011. We want to ensure that as many people benefit from the Work Programme as quickly as possible, including those suffering from depression.

Disability Impact Assessment

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has carried out  (a) a disability impact assessment and  (b) any other impact on the effect of his proposed changes to benefits on disabled individuals and families.

Chris Grayling: Public authorities are legally obliged to pay due regard to the promotion of equality in carrying out their functions. These duties mean that all public bodies need to consider the impact of their decisions on people with disabilities when these decisions are made. The Department carries out Equality Impact Assessments to ensure that the impact of decisions on people with disabilities, as well as other groups such as people from ethnic minorities, is taken into account.
	The Equality Impact Assessment for the reassessment of old-style incapacity benefits customers is available at:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/875/pdfs/uksiem_20100875_en.pdf
	The Equality Impact Assessment concluded that the reassessment would have considerable significance for disabled people, but that disabled people would not be exposed to particular risk.
	An Equality Impact Assessment was carried out for the measures announced in the 2010 spending review. This is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/spend_sr2010_equalities.htm
	The impact of the proposal to time-limit contributory Employment and Support Allowance for customers in the Work Related Activity Group is included in this Equality Impact Assessment. The Equality Impact Assessment is clear that some people with a disability will be affected by the time-limit for contributory Employment and Support Allowance, but that this will be mitigated for the most severely disabled and those on low incomes as neither the Support Group nor customers in receipt of Income Related Employment and Support Allowance will be subject to the time limit. A full Equality Impact for the proposal to time-limit contributory Employment and Support Allowance for customers in the Work Related Activity Group will be published as a part of the Equality Impact Assessment for the Welfare Reform Bill.
	The proposed changes to Disability Living Allowance will be introduced as a part of the forthcoming Welfare Reform Bill. An Equality Impact Assessment for all changes to Disability Living Allowance will be published as a part of the Equality Impact Assessment for the Welfare Reform Bill.

Disability Living Allowance: Learning Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in  (a) England and  (b) Easington constituency with a learning disability he estimates will be affected by proposals to remove the mobility component of disability living allowance for those who live in residential care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: Reliable estimates of main disabling condition, including learning disabilities, for disability living allowance claimants in residential care homes are not available. Reliable estimate of numbers of Disability Living Allowance claimants in residential care homes are not available other than on a Great Britain wide basis. We estimate approximately 60,000 people who claim DLA and live in residential care will be affected by this measure in Great Britain.
	Local authority contracts with care homes should cover services to meet all a resident's assessed needs, including any assessed mobility needs, so an individual's care support and mobility needs should be met by residential care providers from social care funding. This measure will remove an overlap of public funds while ensuring that resources continue to be targeted at disabled people with the greatest needs.

Employment Schemes: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010,  Official Report, column 156W, on employment schemes: Peterborough, for what reason the number of completers in respect of the schemes listed have not been collected; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The data source (Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System) for the DWP led elements of the Young Person's Guarantee official statistics does not contain robust information on Community Task Force completions.
	We do not currently have quality assured statistics on the number of completers of the BIS elements (Routes into Work and Work Focused training) of the Young Person's Guarantee. We will look to develop these statistics for publication in January 2011.

Employment Schemes: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in Peterborough constituency who will be invited to participate in the Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The spending review confirmed the Government's commitment to welfare reform, and to the introduction of the Work Programme. The Work Programme will provide more personalised back to work support for long-term unemployed people and for those with more significant barriers to employment.
	The Department are currently working through the full implications of the spending review for the Work Programme and further announcements on the customers eligible for support and their entry points to the programme will be made in due course.

Incapacity Benefit: Applications

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants claim  (a) on the grounds of multiple illnesses or conditions and  (b) for a single condition.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not hold information on people claiming incapacity benefits with or without multiple conditions. The Department holds information on the primary condition recorded at the start of the benefit claim but it should be noted that this is not the basis for entitlement. People do not qualify for ESA on the grounds of their condition but on the grounds of their functional impairment. Data published in August 2010 on the WCA by Health Condition and Function:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/index.php?page=esa_wca_arc
	show how many people qualified for the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) by scoring points in each of the functional impairment groups at the work capability assessment.
	These groups are functional activities relating to:
	Lower Limb
	Upper Limb
	Sensory
	Continence
	Consciousness
	Understanding and Focus
	Adapting to Change
	Social Interaction.
	If we look at how many people scored in only one functional group or more than one functional group the split is:
	48% scored in just one of the categories
	52% scored in more than one.
	Note that these figures are only for people who are placed in the WRAG after a face to face assessment. It does not include people who are not scored (mainly people in the Support Group, those placed in the WRAG without requiring a face to face assessment and people in the WRAG after appeal) or those who do not score enough points (found fit for work) or who leave ESA before any assessment takes place. However, the majority of people in the WRAG are there after scoring 15 points or more at a face to face WCA.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of people in Bridgend constituency who  (a) claim support for mortgage interest and  (b) receive less in support for mortgage interest payments than the cost of their mortgage interest.

Steve Webb: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The information requested is not available at Parliamentary Constituency level. Information on support for mortgage interest is only available from 5% sample data, and the sample sizes at Parliamentary Constituency level are too small to provide a
	robust estimate.
	The information is available at Government Office Region level. At February 2010 there were 15,100 claims for support for mortgage interest in Wales.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures have been uprated using 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study totals.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest100.
	3. Information on claimants receiving help with mortgage interest payments is derived from a 5% sample of claimants, which is subject to sampling variation.
	4. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	5. Rules for customers making a claim for mortgage interest changed from 5 January 2009. From this date customers have to serve a waiting period of 13 weeks before housing costs are paid, at which time 100% of their eligible mortgage interest could be paid. IS and JSA(IB) customers with partners aged over pension credit age and those in receipt of pension credit do not have to serve a waiting period.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 5% samples
	 (b) This information is not available because the Department does not collect management information on the actual interest rates that apply to Support for Mortgage Interest customers' loans.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2010,  Official Report, columns 821-22W, on social security benefits: appeals, what the cost to the public purse was of rejection of the 31,600 claims for employment support allowance made between October 2008 and June 2009 which were subsequently allowed on appeal.

Chris Grayling: The appeals process against work capability assessment (WCA) decisions relating to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is partly handled by Jobcentre Plus, an agency of the Department for Work and Pensions, with the majority of the process being handled by the Tribunals Service, part of the Ministry of Justice.
	While the Tribunals Service are unable to break down the exact full costs of tribunals for specific benefit types, the average unit cost of clearing a Social Security and Child Support appeal, on the basis of an average Tribunal Panel that would hear such cases and all associated administration costs of processing the case, is £293. Therefore, the cost of disposing of 31,600 appeals is approximately £9 million.
	The average direct staff unit cost within Jobcentre Plus of an ESA Appeal is approximately £55. Therefore the cost to Jobcentre Plus of administering 31,600 appeals is approximately £2 million.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria will be used to determine the awarding of contracts to private sector companies to implement the fraud prevention techniques referred in the Government's Fraud and Error Strategy; and at what level performance-related pay for such services will be set.

Chris Grayling: The Department's new joint strategy with HMRC for tackling welfare fraud and error was published on 18 October 2010. The strategy contains a wide range of measures including plans to build partnerships with private sector firms, such as credit reference agencies, to radically increase the range of third party data on our customers that is used to counter welfare fraud and error.
	As part of implementing the strategy with regard to access and use of third party data, we will be developing specific requirements and associated evaluation criteria prior to engaging with interested private sector companies. It is therefore too early to confirm details of the criteria or the commercial arrangements

Unemployment: Rural Areas

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the level of access to transport for unemployed people seeking work in remote rural and valley areas; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: It is an integral part of the role of advisers in Jobcentre Plus to take account of local transport issues when advising unemployed people seeking work on the options available. All claimants should be willing to take employment within a reasonable travel to work area. The local travel to work area is determined by each individual Jobcentre, taking into account the availability of local transport facilities.
	Broader policy regarding the role of transport in supporting regional economies is the responsibility of local authorities and other local bodies. National transport policy is the responsibility of the Department for Transport and the devolved administrations.

Work Capability Assessment

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had on accurate reflections of claimants' conditions in the outcomes of work capability assessments.

Chris Grayling: Firstly, it is important to note that the work capability assessment (WCA) is not condition-based. Rather than making assumptions about someone's capability for work based on their condition, it looks at their functional ability. This is because a health condition or disability will affect people in different ways and at different levels of severity, and we do not want to write people off by assuming that their health condition or disability is a barrier to work.
	From March 2009 to March 2010, the Department led a review of the WCA, which engaged with medical and other experts and specialist disability groups. It conducted detailed case-study analysis, and concluded that generally the WCA is accurately assessing individuals for the right benefit. It also made a number of recommendations for improving the assessment, which we have accepted and plan to implement from spring 2011.
	In addition, we have commissioned Professor Malcolm Harrington to undertake the first of five independent reviews of the operation of the WCA. He is supported by a small scrutiny group which includes Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind. Professor Harrington is evaluating the fairness and accuracy of the assessment. We look forward to receiving his report later this year and will give careful consideration to his recommendations. Where necessary, we will make changes to improve the WCA.